Ice tray



Aprill m, 1935. G: n... TINKHAM 1, 3

ICE TRAY Filed Dec. 1, 1932 4 INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE may Guy L.Tinkham, Detroit, Mich, assignor, by mesne assignments, to McCordRadiator & Mfg. 00., Detroit, Mich a corporation of Maine ApplicationDecember 1, 1932, Serial No. 645,215

7 Claims.

Serial No. 547,473, filed June 29, 1931, now Paten 1,894,897 issuedJanuary 17, 1933.

In accordance with the invention disclosed and claimed in thatapplication, the tray when in use is flexed in the hands of the user tofracture the mass frozen in the tray' into the smaller units or sectionsrequired for table or other use and to free the units from the walls ofthe tray for immediate discharge therefrom. When making the tray ofmetal and by a drawing process, it is essential to use a metal havingconsiderable elongation in 'order that su'ficient resiliency may beretained in the drawn metal to permit repeated flexing of the tray whenin use without weakening or straining it.

While the drawing process is not an objectionable way in which toproduce thetray, yet it does more or less confine the. production tometals having considerable elongation, especially for relatively deeptrays, which is not the case of a folding method to which in part theinvention of the present application relates. By the folding method thetray is folded into shape rather than drawn into shape, thereby settingup no undue strains 'in the metal in theproduction of the tray, with theresult that the resiliency of the metal is not impaired and the tray maybe flexed with greater safety and have longer life than a drawn tray.

The folding method makes possible the use of metals which could notordinarily be used by the drawing process either because of insufficientelongation to the drawing or impairment of the resiliency of the metalwhen drawn to the depth necessary to produce a tray. Thus the factor ofelongation of the metal is not an important one in the folding method,and I may therefor employ any desired metal having the resiliencynecessary for the flexing of the tray when in use, having regard ofcourse to the nature of the edible materials to be frozen in the tray.Aluminum and certain of its alloys are highly desirable metals for trayproduction, and by my fold-. ing method can be used because theirresiliency is not impaired or sacrificed, which is likely to be the casewhen the drawn process is employed, especially for deep trays as arerequired for commercial purposes. Stainless steel is another metaldesirable for tray production. While this metal has considerableelongation, yet for deep drawing there is a likelihood of arupturetaking place when thin gauge metals are used. This is not the onlyobjection, however, an equally important one being that it may benecessary to anneal the metal during the drawing process, and

this would necessitate pickling and finishing costs 5 which the foldingmethod avoids. Even if annealing were not necessary, there might be diemarks left on the drawn material which would have to be eliminated bypolishing. Obviously, by the folding method of my invention, I am notrestricted or limited to the use of any Particular metals for trayproduction, but may select those metals best adapted for the purpose,and even use those having sumcient elongation, as it is evident that bythe folding method all finishing cost can be reduced or entirelyeliminated. The particular metals referred to have been cited by way ofexample and not as limiting in any sense my invention tl'iereto.

In addition to the folding method, my invention also relates to theapparatus for'performing it, and also to the folded tray itself.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved tray; v

Fig. 2 shows the manner in which the tray is flexed in the hands of theuser to fracture the frozen contents thereof into the small sections orunits required for use and to free the same from the walls of the trayfor immediate discharge therefrom;

Fig.3 is an end view of the tray on a slightly larger scale than used inthe preceding figures;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line fil of Fig. 5; 35

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on line 55 ofFig. 4;

Figs. 6 and 7 are top and bottom plan views, respectively, of theportion of the tray shown in Fig. 5; 4.0

Fig. 8 shows the flat blank from which the tray is folded into shape;and v Fig. 9 illustrates the manner in which the tray is folded intoshape and one way in which expansion joints are provided in its bottomand side walls.

As-shown in the drawing, the tray comprises a ,series of unit-formingsections l, 8 connected by expansion joints 2, 2 which, as hereinafterdescribed, are integral with the side and bottom walls of the tray.These joints extend across said walls and through the upper edges of theside walls and permit the tray, when grasped at its ends between thehands of a user, to be flexed laterally to shorten one side wall andelongate 5 the smaller units or sections as required for use and alsofree them from the walls of the tray.

for immediate discharge therefrom. The manner in which the tray isflexed is shown in Fig. 2, and the fractured units or sections aremarked 3, 3, being generally in the shape of cubes. The frozenmass priorto fracture is shown in .the tray in Fig. 1, the tray occupying itsnormal position at this time.

The upright or surrounding marginal walls of the tray are inclinedupwardly as shown so that the cubeeforming sections i are wider at thetop than at the bottom andthus facilitate the discharge of the cubes orunits from the tray when fractured from the mass at the scoring in theflexing of the tray. 5

To fold the tray into shape from sheet metal in accordance with myinvention, I provide a fiat blank of the desired metal and of the sizeand rectangular shape required as shown at t in Fig. 8. The blank'isfirst folded longitudinally to provide the upright side walls 5, 5 andthe bottom wall it of the tray. The side walls are in parallel relationas shown in Fig. 9 and are spaced apart throughout theirlength-substantially the same distance as the width of the trayintermediate the joints 2.. In folding up the side walls 5, the ends ofthe tray may also be formed. In Fig. 9 I have shown the manner in whichone end wall is formed, it being understood that the other end wall issimilarly formed, either at the same time or subsequently thereto,depending upon the character of the machine or apparatus employed forthe production of the tray. The bottom Wall is shorter then the lengthof the blank'and disposed to leave similar rectangular sectionsl, l atthe ends of the blank as continuations of said bottom wall. Thesesections are substantially as wide as the bottom wall, and are in theforming of the end walls of the tray folded upwardly between thesidewalls to positions substantially normal to the bottom wall as shownin Fig. 9. In doing this the triangular sections of the blank joiningand on opposite sides or the sections l fold against the inner sides ofthe portions of the side walls 5 where they project or extend beyond theend walls i. This produces \the form shown in Fig. 9, wherein it will benoted that the projecting ends of the side walls are in folded formproviding triangular sections 9, 9 of a double thickness of sheet metal.The sections 9, it are on opposite sides of the end wall 3 and arefolded inwardly against the outer side of the same to complete the endwall of the tray as shown in Fig 3. The sections 9 overlap as shown inFig. 3 and are secured or clamped in that relation to thesection l by aflange it at the upper edge of the section 7, said flange being bentdownwardly over the upper edges of sections 77 and 9 and pressed againstthe outer sides of the latter as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5. Thisproduces an effective end, wall construction for the tray and one whichwill not leak because the folded connections extend to the top of thetray and thus terminate above thelevel of the liquid therein in the useof the tray.

After the tray has been folded in the manner shown and described, theexpansion joints 2 are provided in the side and bottom walls of thetray. This is accomplished by forcing the metal at the joints into thetray and may be done in any desired way. In Fig. 9 I have illustratedone method of making the joints. The joints in the side walls of thetray are formed by the use of dies or tools M, ii disposed on oppositesides of the tray and having V-shaped endswhich when forced against theside. Walls will displace the metal inwardly and provide the V-shapedjoints as shown. A similar joint is formed in the bottom wall of thetray by a tool or die it, which as shown in Fig. 9, has a V-shaped upperor operating end i? and similarly shaped grooves i i in the sides so asto not only force the metal of the bottom wall into the tray, but alsoto displace the surplus metal into folded form about the lower ends ofthe joints in the side walls as shown in Figs. 4i and 7. The requirednumberof joints are formed in the tray along the length of the same todivide the tray into the requisite number of unit-forming sections 11and to render the tray flexible for the purpose heretofore described.

Instead of forming the joints in the walls of the tray after it has beencompletely set up as herein shown and described, the joints could beformed after the side walls have been set up and before the end wallsare folded into place. Moreover, all of the joints could be formed atone or more closely allied operations by an appropriately designedmachine or apparatus, or each set could be formed in the desired orrequired sequence. It is to be of course understood that my inventioncontemplates the folding of the tray and the forming of the jointstherein in any desired way, the specific illustrations as herein givenbeing by way of example and not by way of limitation except to theextent as indicated in the appended claims. Likewise, the use of anyparticular metal or metals is optional, it being within the scope of theinvention to produce a folded tray with expansion joints from anydesired material.

I claim as myinvention:

1. An ice tray for use in mechanical refrigerators, comprising a bodyhaving connected bottom, side and end walls, said body consisting offlexible sheet material bent to provide said walls, and integralportions of the bottom and the side walls at spaced points along thelength of the tray being displaced into the tray to provide ribsdividing the tray into a series of connected cells and expansion jointsbetween them whereby the mass frozen in the tray will be scored at theribs and be fractured at the scoring on flexing the tray at the ribs.

2. An ice tray for use in mechanical refrigerators, comprising a bodyhaving connected bottom, side and end walls, certain of said walls consisting of a one-piece blank of flexible sheet material bent to providesaid walls, and integral portions of the bottom and-the side walls atspaced points along the length of the tray being displaced into thetrayv to provide ribs dividing the tray into a series of connected cellsand expansion joints between them, whereby the mass frozen in the traywill be scored at the ribs and be frac-.

tured at ,the scoring on flexing the tray'at the ribs:

3; A flexible metal ice tray for use in mechanical refrigerators,comprising a body having connected bottom, side and end walls, said bodyconsisting of a one-piece blank of sheet metal of the desiredflexibility bent to provide said walls and to retain thelnherentflexibility of the metal, and integral portions of the bottom and theside walls at spaced pointsalong the length or the memes tray beingdisplaced into the tray to provide ribs dividing the tray into a seriesof connected cells and expansion joints between them, whereby the massfrozen in the tray will be scored at the ribs and be fractured at thescoring on flexing the tray at the ribs. s

4. An ice tray comprising a one-piece blank formed body of flexiblesheet material bent to provide a bottom, side and end walls, integralportions of the bottom and the side walls at spaced points along thelength of the tray being displaced into the tray to provide ribsdividing the tray into a series of connected cells and expansion jointsbetween them, whereby the mass frozen in the tray will be scored at theribs and be fractured at the scoring on flexing the tray at the ribs.

5. An ice tray for use in mechanical refrigerators, comprising a bodyhaving connected bottom, side and end walls, said body consisting offlexible sheet material bent to provide said walls,

integral portions of the bottom and the side walls at spaced pointsalong the length of the tray being i displaced into the tray to provideribs dividing the tray into a series of connected cells and expansionjoints between them, whereby the mass frozen in the tray will be scoredat the ribs and befractured at the scoring on flexing the tray at theribs, and extensions on the side walls at the ends of the tray bent intooverlapping relation with the end walls.

6. An ice tray for use in mechanical refrigerators, comprising a bodyhaving connected bottom,

side and end walls, said body consisting of flexible sheet material bentto provide said walls, integral portions of the bottom and the sidewalls at spaced points along the length of the-tray being displaced intothe tray to provide ribs dividing the tray into a series of connectedcells and expansion joints between them, whereby the mass frozen in thetray will be scored at the ribs and be fractured at the scoring onflexing the tray at the ribs, and extensions on the side walls at theends of the tray bent into overlapping relation with the end walls, andhaving integral connection with the side and end Walls throughout theheight thereof.

'7. An ice tray for use in mechanical refrigerators, comprising a bodyhaving connected bottom, side and end walls, said body consisting offlexible sheet material bent to provide said walls,

integral portions of the bottom and the side walls at spaced pointsalong the length of the tray being displaced into the tray to provideribs dividing the tray into a series of connected cells and expansionjoints between them, whereby the mass frozen in the tray will be scoredat the ribs and be fractured at the. scoring on flexing the tray at theribs, extensions on the side walls at the ends of the tray bent intooverlapping relation with the end walls, and flanges extending from saidend walls and bent into overlapping rela tion with the side wallextensions over the upper edges of said extensions.

GUY nrrmxnam.

